#$1 Million Settlement

[snap-blogz]

Todd And Julie Score $1 Million Settlement Amidst Conviction

In a surprising turn of events, Todd and Julie Chrisley, of “Chrisley Knows Best,” have clinched a substantial $1 million settlement from the state of Georgia. This legal triumph comes amid their prison sentences for involvement in a bank fraud and tax evasion case.

Table of Contents

Key Lawsuit Allegations

Misconduct Claims Against Waites

Settlement Outcome

Current Imprisonment Situation

Family Reaction

Key Lawsuit Allegations

 The couple filed a federal lawsuit against Joshua Waites, the former Director of Special Investigations for the Georgia Department of Revenue. The lawsuit accused Waites of targeting the Chrisleys for state tax evasion charges due to their fame. The family’s attorney, Alex Little, emphasized the unusual nature of the criminal case, stating,

 “This settlement is an encouraging sign.”

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C17SU2KOPSY/embed/captioned/?cr=1&v=14&wp=485&rd=https%3A%2F%2Fsnapblogz.com&rp=%2Ftodd-and-julie-score-1-million-settlement%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A0%2C%22os%22%3A1665.2999999821186%2C%22ls%22%3A629.6999999880791%2C%22le%22%3A1327.9000000059605%7D

Misconduct Claims Against Waites

The lawsuit revealed shocking allegations of misconduct by Waites during the investigation. It detailed how Waites focused on the Chrisley family, particularly Todd and his estranged daughter Lindsie. The family accused Waites of attempting to use Lindsie to gain compromising information, even sharing confidential tax details. Despite the efforts, the Chrisleys endured significant personal and financial hardship.

“Ultimately Waites’s efforts failed, but in the process, the Chrisleys were forced to incur substantial personal and financial hardship,” expressed Michael J. Bowers, the Chrisleys’ former lawyer.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CmHrsZ-JKSt/embed/captioned/?cr=1&v=14&wp=485&rd=https%3A%2F%2Fsnapblogz.com&rp=%2Ftodd-and-julie-score-1-million-settlement%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A1%2C%22os%22%3A1671.0999999940395%2C%22ls%22%3A629.6999999880791%2C%22le%22%3A1327.9000000059605%7D

Settlement Outcome

The State of Georgia agreed to pay the Chrisleys $1 million to resolve the lawsuit. Little highlighted the rarity of a government arm compensating defendants while another fights to keep them in jail.

 “It’s nearly unprecedented for one arm of the government to pay money to defendants when another arm is fighting to keep them in jail,” he remarked.

Current Imprisonment Situation

Although cleared of state tax evasion charges, Todd and Julie faced federal charges, leading to their imprisonment. Todd’s 10-year sentence and Julie’s reduced 5-year sentence are currently being served. The couple’s original sentences were trimmed in September 2023. An appeal of their criminal convictions is scheduled for April at the federal appeals court in Atlanta.

Family Reaction

Chase Chrisley, the couple’s son, expressed optimism on social media, calling the settlement a “small victory” and emphasizing their innocence. “Savannah Chrisley” urged followers to “open their eyes to the corruption occurring EVERY SINGLE DAY.”

In summary, the Chrisleys’ legal journey takes a positive turn with the $1 million settlement, offering a glimmer of hope as they navigate through a complex legal battle. The upcoming appeal in April will be a crucial chapter in their quest for justice.

[odinsblog]

This year’s Super Bowl was a weapon of mass distraction. If there’s any justice, future generations will remember the game not for Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, or Taylor Swift but for the US-funded attacks on Palestinian civilians that occurred while so many Americans were glued to their TVs. During the game, watched by well over 100 million people in the United States, Israel launched a bombing raid of Rafah in the Gaza Strip, the most densely populated area on earth. More than 1 million people had fled now-leveled Gaza City to the refugee camps in Rafah and surrounding areas. Palestinians who have survived previous Israeli strikes are now staving off disease, destitution, and fear.

Meanwhile, CBS granted the Israeli government space for an ad about the 130 hostages left in Gaza. This ad, meant to build public support and justify the slaughter of nearly 30,000 civilians in Gaza, spurred 10,000 people to register complaints with the FCC, because the commercial did not disclose that a foreign government had paid for it. Coupled with the Rafah raid, this looks more like military synergy than happenstance. 

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft also spent $7 million on an ad from his organization Foundation to Combat Anti-Semitism. It features Clarence Jones, a 93-year-old former speech writer for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Kraft and other pro-war billionaires use the memory of King so much, they should be paying his family indulgences for slandering his name. The ad failed to mention that Kraft has given $1 million to pro-war AIPAC and donated $1 million in 2016 to Donald Trump’s inauguration. Given that Kraft says that the Nazi march in Charlottesville was his motivation to start his foundation (Charlottesville was the one with “good people on both sides,” according to Trump), his hypocrisy is insidious.

Kraft and Israel want the same thing: a blank check to uproot Palestinians from Gaza and build settlements. One can also only imagine if a peace organization tried to buy an ad asking Israel and the United States the question: “How many dead children will be enough?” I suspect it would be denied faster than a public-service announcement about concussions.

(continue reading)

[ur-mag]

Final weeks to get $5,200 in free money from $1 million privacy settlement – check if you’re eligible | In Trend Today

Final weeks to get $5,200 in free money from $1 million privacy settlement – check if you’re eligible Read Full Text or Full Article on MAG NEWS

[batboyblog]

Things Biden and the Democrats did, this week #26

July 5-12 2024

The IRS announced it had managed to collect $1 billion in back taxes from high-wealth tax cheats. The program focused on persons with more than $1 million in yearly income who owned more than $250,000 in unpaid taxes. Thanks to money in Biden's 2022 Inflation Reduction Act the IRS is able to undertake more enforcement against rich tax cheats after years of Republicans cutting the agency's budget, which they hope to do again if they win power again.

The Biden administration announced a $244 million dollar investment in the federal government’s registered apprenticeship program. This marks the largest investment in the program's history with grants going out to 52 programs in 32 states. The President is focused on getting well paying blue collar opportunities to people and more people are taking part in the apprenticeship program than ever before. Republican pledge to cut it, even as employers struggle to find qualified workers.

The Department of Transportation announced the largest single project in the department's history, $11 billion dollars in grants for the The Hudson River Tunnel. Part of the $66 billion the Biden Administration has invested in our rail system the tunnel, the most complex Infrastructure project in the nation would link New York and New Jersey by rail under the Hudson. Once finished it's believed it'll impact 20% of the American economy by improving and speeding connection throughout the Northeast.

The Department of Energy announced $1.7 billion to save auto worker's jobs and convert factories to electronic vehicles. The Biden administration will used the money to save or reopen factories in Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, and Virginia and retool them to make electric cars. The project will save 15,000 skilled union worker jobs, and created 2,900 new high-quality jobs.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development reached a settlement with The Appraisal Foundation over racial discrimination. TAF is the organization responsible for setting standards and qualifications for real estate appraisers. The Bureau of Labor Statistics last year found that TAF was 94.7% White and 0.6% Black, making it the least racially diverse of the 800 occupations surveyed. Black and Latino home owners are far more likely to have their houses under valued than whites. Under the settlement with HUD TAF will have to take serious steps to increase diversity and remove structural barriers to diversity.

The Department of Justice disrupted an effort by the Russian government to influence public opinion through AI bots. The DoJ shut down nearly 1,000 twitter accounts that were linked to a Russian Bot farm. The bots used AI technology to not only generate tweets but also AI image faces for profile pictures. The effort seemed focused on boosting support for Russia's war against Ukraine and spread negative stories/impressions about Ukraine.

The Department of Transportation announces $1.5 billion to help local authorities buy made in America buses. 80% of the funding will go toward zero or low-emission technology, a part of the President's goal of reaching zero emissions by 2050. This is part of the $5 billion the DOT has spent over the last 3 years replacing aging buses with new cleaner technology.

President Biden with Canadian Prime Minster Justin Trudeau and Finnish President Alexander Stubb signed a new agreement on the arctic. The new trilateral agreement between the 3 NATO partners, known as the ICE Pact, will boost production of ice breaking ships, the 3 plan to build as many as 90 between them in the coming years. The alliance hopes to be a counter weight to China's current dominance in the ice breaker market and help western allies respond to Russia's aggressive push into the arctic waters.

The Department of Transportation announced $1.1 billion for greater rail safety. The program seeks to, where ever possible, eliminate rail crossings, thus removing the dangers and inconvenience to communities divided by rail lines. It will also help update and improve safety measures at rail crossings.

The Department of the Interior announced $120 million to help tribal communities prepare for climate disasters. This funding is part of half a billion dollars the Biden administration has spent to help tribes build climate resilience, which itself is part of a $50 billion dollar effort to build climate resilience across the nation. This funding will help support drought measures, wildland fire mitigation, community-driven relocation, managed retreat, protect-in-place efforts, and ocean and coastal management.

The USDA announced $100 million in additional funds to help feed low income kids over the summer. Known as "SUN Bucks" or "Summer EBT" the new Biden program grants the families of kids who qualify for free meals at school $120 dollars pre-child for groceries. This comes on top of the traditional SUN Meals program which offers school meals to qualifying children over the summer, as well as the new under President Biden SUN Meals To-Go program which is now offering delivery of meals to low-income children in rural areas. This grant is meant to help local governments build up the Infrastructure to support and distribute SUN Bucks. If fully implemented SUN Bucks could help 30 million kids, but many Republican governors have refused the funding.

USAID announced its giving $100 million to the UN World Food Program to deliver urgently needed food assistance in Gaza. This will bring the total humanitarian aid given by the US to the Palestinian people since the war started in October 2023 to $774 million, the single largest donor nation. President Biden at his press conference last night said that Israel and Hamas have agreed in principle to a ceasefire deal that will end the war and release the hostages. US negotiators are working to close the final gaps between the two sides and end the war.

The Senate confirmed Nancy Maldonado to serve as a Judge on the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. Judge Maldonado is the 202nd federal Judge appointed by President Biden to be confirmed. She will the first Latino judge to ever serve on the 7th Circuit which covers Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin.

Bonus: At the NATO summit in Washington DC President Biden joined 32 allies in the Ukraine compact. Allies from Japan to Iceland confirmed their support for Ukraine and deepening their commitments to building Ukraine's forces and keeping a free and Democratic Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression. World leaders such as British Prime Minster Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, praised President Biden's experience and leadership during the NATO summit

[havithreatendub4]

#article link

Johnny's #charity donations with AH #settlement

[diaryofajewishgal]

The revelation that Netanyahu purposefully propped up Hamas should tell you two things:

1. Netanyahu is a purely evil human being. He does not care about Israeli lives. He does not care about Palestinian lives. He would do literally anything to maintain his power. Israelis would do more to protect their own safety by storming Beit Aghion and publicly executing him than by bombing Gaza.

2. Hamas and its supporters internationally are an absolute fucking gift to the Israeli far-right. I don't think American leftists could do more to prop up the Israeli far-right if they donated directly to them.

(Neither of these things, of course, are new information: Bibi has shown his colors with actions like the expansion of West Bank settlements, and BDS and other poorly thought through acts of international "leftist" support for Palestine have often benefitted him; he should be sending fruit baskets to every SJP chapter in America.)

The corollary to this is that the Israeli blockade and bombing of Gaza is not only morally evil, but strategically stupid, and every moment it continues is a gift to Ayatollah Khomeini. The Iranian government doesn't fund and train and stoke Palestinian terrorists out of any great love for Palestinians; they do it because they understand that instability and bloodshed in the region is good for them. The people primarily reponsible for the Hamas attacks knew that the end result would be massive Palestinian loss of life, and this was not a bug but a feature to them.

Palestinians don't benefit from the public rape and execution of a young woman or the murder of 40 babies in their cribs. Israelis don't benefit from entire towers full of Palestinian civilians being reduced to dust and ashes. The only people who benefit from any of this are the power hungry far-right warlords who have stoked and funded this conflict.

There are, roughly speaking, 7 million Jews and 7 million Arabs in Israel & Palestine. Without a holocaust-level genocide of one of these peoples, the only options are a never-ending cycle of violence and bloodshed, or both populations learning to live in peace with one another. Every act of violence committed today makes the latter solution more difficult.

[newsfrom-theworld]

BRANDS TO BOYCOTT

1 Consumer boycott goals:

Let's start by boycotting these brands that are directly involved in Israeli apartheid

'' BIG THREE''

Mc Donald: gives free meals to Israeli soldiers

Disney ( sadly, Disney was my childhood): declared support for Israel by pledging $2 million

Starbucks: sued his union over its pro-Palestine positions

Siemens

Siemens (Germany) is the prime contractor of the Euro-Asia Interconnector, an Israel-EU undersea power cable that is expected to connect illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories to Europe. Siemens brand appliances are sold all over the world.

PUMA

PUMA (Germany) sponsors the Israel Football Federation, which governs teams in illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Carrefour

Carrefour (France) is a facilitator of genocide. Carrefour-Israel supported Israeli soldiers who took part in the genocide of Palestinians in Gaza with gifts of personal parcels. In 2022 it entered into a partnership with the Israeli company Electra Consumer Products and its subsidiary Yenot Bitan, both of which were involved in serious violations against the Palestinian people.

AXA

When Russia invaded Ukraine, the insurance giant AXA (France) took targeted measures against it. Yet as Israel, a 75-year-old regime of colonialism and apartheid, wages a genocidal war on Gaza, AXA continues to invest in Israeli banks that finance war crimes and the theft of Palestinian land and natural resources.

Hewlett Packard Inc (HP Inc)

HP Inc (USA) provides services to the offices of the genocide leaders, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and Finance Minister Smotrich.

SodaStream

SodaStream is actively complicit in Israel's policy of displacing Israel's indigenous Bedouin-Palestinian citizens in the Naqab (Negev) and has a long history of racial discrimination against Palestinian workers.

Ahava cosmetics

Ahava have their production site, visitor center and main store in an illegal Israeli settlement in the occupied Palestinian territories.

D/MAX

RE/MAX (USA) markets and sells property in illegal Israeli settlements built on stolen Palestinian land, thus enabling Israeli colonization of the occupied West Bank.

2 Divestment objectives:

Elbit Systems

Elbit Systems is the largest apartheid Israeli arms company. It “field tests” its weapons against the Palestinians, including in Israel's ongoing genocidal war against the Palestinians in Gaza. In addition to building killer drones, Elbit produces surveillance technology for the apartheid wall, checkpoints and fence in Gaza, enabling apartheid. The US and EU use Elbit technology to militarize their borders, violating the rights of refugees and indigenous peoples.

HD Hyundai/Volvo/CAT/JCB machinery

by HD Hyundai (South Korea), Volvo (Sweden/China), CAT (United States) and JCB (United Kingdom) have been used by Israel in the ethnic cleansing and forced displacement of Palestinians through the destruction of their homes, farms and commercial activities, as well as the construction of illegal settlements on stolen land, a war crime under international law.

Barclays

Barclays Bank (UK) holds more than £1 billion in shares and provides more than £3 billion in loans and subscriptions to nine companies whose weapons, components and military technology have been used in Israel's armed violence against Palestinians.

CAF

The Basque transport company CAF builds and provides maintenance services to the Jerusalem Light Rail (JLR), a tram line serving illegal Israeli settlements in Jerusalem. The CAF benefits from Israel's war crimes on stolen Palestinian lands.

Chevron

The US fossil fuel multinational Chevron is the main international company extracting gas claimed by Israeli apartheid in the eastern Mediterranean. Chevron generates billions in revenue, bolstering Israel's war chest and apartheid system and exacerbating the climate crisis.

HikVision

Amnesty International has documented high-resolution CCTV cameras made by Chinese company Hikvision installed in residential areas and mounted on Israeli military infrastructure for surveillance of Palestinians. Some of these models, according to Hikvision marketing, can connect to external facial recognition software.

TKH Security

Amnesty International has identified cameras from the Dutch company TKH Security used by Israel for surveillance of Palestinians. TKH supplies the Israeli police with surveillance technology used to enforce apartheid.

Other brands:

Zara

Zara's latest marketing campaign uses corpses in plastic wrapping, and warzone aesthetics, mocking the genocide by israel in Gaza. In a previous incident Joey Schwebel, a Canadian-Israeli dual national and chairman of israel's Zara franchisee Trimera, hosted the convicted terrorist Itamar Ben-Gvir at his home in the lead-up to the Israeli elections. Zara did not made a statement distancing themselves from this association and allowed this ad campaign to run.

Adidas

Adidas uses isr@eli manufacturer, Delta Galil, to manufacture its underwear range.

Prada:

Prada Beauty is a partnership with L'Oreal, which is a 'warm friend of Isr@el'.

Louis Vuitton:

The owner of Louis Vuitton's parent company, LVMH, Bernard Arnault invests hundreds of millions in Isr@eli companies

Dior:

The owner of Dior's parent company, LVMH, Bernard Arnault invests hundreds of millions in Isr@eli companies

Caterpillar:

Caterpillar bulldozers have been used in the demolition of Palestinian homes. The D9 bulldozer was specifically designed for the IOF.

American Eagle:

American Eagle posted an image of the Isr@eli Flag on their flagship billboard in Times Square showing their support for the apartheid state.

Fenty Beauty by Rihanna:

The owner of Fenty's parent company, LVMH, Bernard Arnault invests hundreds of millions in Isr@eli companies

Eurovision:

Eurovision is allowing israel to compete this year despite the genocide theyre comitting and they will use this opportunity to spread propaganda

Donna Italia

Sources:

BDS

this site

this specifical post on Twitter ( X )

if i discover news brands i will edit the post

And Always

Free Palestine, now and always.

[brf-rumortrackinganon]

Rumor #5 - Per the terms of Diana's will, William inherited her things that were being stored at Althorp when he turned 30. According to Karen Spencer (Earl Spencer's wife), all of Dians's things were taken down from the Althorp displays at William's 30th birthday and given to William. Harry didn't know that and when he approached Charles about having some of Diana's things for Meghan and the new baby, Charles told him William had them and Harry flipped out.

Can you do a deep dive into this, I don't think William inherited it all, I think he took it first because ge turned 30 first and Harry joined him 2 years later, there's a thing about Diana's gowns and both her sons having to approve their display.

What William might've inherited,according to helenaurelia (it's not the same here without her) is Diana's official gifts jewelry (The Saudi Suite, Qatari Suite, The Sapphire chocker, etc) it has been a rumor since the C&D divorce, Kate wore pieces from the personal and official collection while Meghan only wore personal pieces

Old ask from May 9th

First, there's not a whole lot publicly known or published about Diana's will and/or the boys' inheritances. 95% of what's out there is largely speculation and gossip.

So let's get into what we do know first, and then talk some rumors.

Diana wrote her last will on June 1, 1993. In that will, she:

Named her mother, Frances Kydd, and Patrick Jephson named as executors and trustees.

Named Frances Kydd and Earl Spencer as guardians for any children who were underaged at the time of her death.

Requested her husband Charles to consult with Frances on the boys’ education, upbringing, and welfare.

Left the bulk of her estate in a trust for William and Harry, with instructions that they should split it equally on their 25th birthdays. She also had instructions that if the boys predeceased Diana (or died within three months of her death) but they had children and those children survived three months past Diana’s death, they should inherit their father’s share at age 21 and it should be split equally amongst them. Grandchildren of a surviving son do not inherit anything.

Diana’s estate was estimated at $35.6 million pre-tax; $21.3 million after tax. The lion’s share of Diana’s estate (about $28 million pre-tax) came from her divorce settlement.

Diana updated her will on February 1, 1996. In her codicil, she replaced Patrick Jephson as executor and trustee with her sister, Sarah McCorquodale. Everything else remained the same.

After Diana died, Frances and Sarah challenged the will and Diana’s estate in probate court using a variance that changed William’s and Harry’s age of inheritance from 25 to 30; however, William and Harry were allowed to access the income (aka interest) generated by their inheritance beginning at age 25. The full details of Frances and Sarah’s challenge, including why they challenged, and the variance aren’t known.

Frances and Sarah later gave one memento of Diana to each of her 17 godchildren - this becomes important later - and also in accordance with Diana’s wishes, gave Paul Burrell approximately $70,000.

In her will, Diana created a trust or a fund (it’s not clear) to keep and maintain all of Diana’s clothes, including her wedding dress. The clothes, especially the wedding dress, were often lent out to exhibitions all over the world; however, upon Harry’s 30th birthday, everything returned to William and Harry as per the terms of their inheritance. The clothing fund/trust supported William, William’s family, Harry, and several special charities. The charities were also allowed to receive royalties from the commercial use of Diana’s likeness.

Here’s where it gets messy. A few years after Diana’s death and probate was completed, there were unrelated court proceedings in which a previously undisclosed  “Letter of Wishes” from Diana regarding her estate was revealed. The “Letter of Wishes” declared more of Diana’s intent on how to divide her estate:

75% of her personal belongings and all of her jewelry should go to William and Harry.

The remaining 25% of her personal belongings (including portraits, paintings, clothing, and china) should go to an additional 17 named beneficiaries - her godchildren.

The discovery of the letter and Diana’s final wishes for her estate really pissed off a lot of people, family members and godchildren, especially. It’s not clear if people were angry with how Frances and Sarah decided to distribute Diana’s estate, if they were angry at the probate court for not exhausting all efforts to uncover or find all of Diana’s last documents, or if they were angry at whomever held the letter for not coming forward years earlier.

(My theory is that the Letter of Wishes was found in the evidence discovery for the Paul Burrell trial. If you’re not familiar: after Diana died, many of her belongings went missing. There was an investigation, in which it was discovered that Paul Burrell had these items, which ended up being around 310 items, including clothing, shoes, and letters. Burrell was charged with theft, it went to trial in 2002, and The Queen intervened at the last moments by all of a sudden remembering that she had given Burrell permission to remove these items.)

Remember those 17 godchildren? The ones who received just one memento of Diana, which some of them called “tacky”? Had Diana’s Letter of Wishes been declared at the time of her death and followed, the godchildren would have been given about $100,000 each.

As for exactly how Diana’s assets, properties, and belongings were split up, we don’t know. Not a lot has been published or publicly discussed. For instance, the speculation is that William took his half when he turned 30, but it’s also possible that William waited until Harry turned 30 so it was an even split of the assets. (The former is probably most likely; William doesn’t strike me as someone who’d nickel-and-dime in his inheritance and since the brothers were on good terms back in those days, William even may have been happy for Harry to get “more” of DIana’s inheritance knowing that he’s the sole beneficiary for Charles when the time comes.)

We do know that William and Harry have the wedding dress. It’s very likely that whatever this fund is that has Diana’s clothes, they probably serve on the board of directors or are somehow closely involved in the administration of it. It’s said that this fund is the one that maintains and holds Diana clothes for display at Kensington Palace. We also know that the brothers got to take a personal item of Diana’s for their own keeping, and William took the engagement ring and Harry took the watch. 

But other than those very few specifics, we only have rumors about how the estate was split. Most of the rumors are about the jewelry:

William inherited the big official jewelry and Harry got the smaller personal jewelry. (Helenaaurellia’s theory)

The jewelry Diana received in official capacity as Princess of Wales was left to a trust benefiting only future Princesses of Wales (aka William’s wife, George’s future wife, George’s son’s future wife, etc.) and the brothers split Diana’s personal jewelry.

All of the Princess of Wales jewelry Diana received (aka the official gifts) actually belongs to The Queen and was given back to Her Majesty on Diana’s death. The Queen then loaned them, or gifted them, to Kate. 

Diana put most of her personal jewelry into a trust for future granddaughters, so Charlotte and Lili are the true beneficiaries, with William and Harry the trustees who sometimes choose to let Kate and Meghan wear the pieces.

I lean towards Rumor #2 - it just makes the most sense to me when you remember that Diana was actually a pretty hardcore monarchist and royalist. She just didn’t like Charles and much of what she did, she believed she was doing to protect the monarchy from Charles for William’s sake. So putting her official Princess of Wales jewelry in a trust specifically for The Princess of Wales makes sense to me…except doing so would have created a loophole for Camilla to take possession of the jewelry if/when she married Charles and we know Diana wouldn’t have allowed that in any capacity.

Which makes Rumor #1/Helenaaurellia’s theory the most optimal one. William gets the official pieces as his future wife would be the future Princess of Wales, Harry gets the sentimental, personal pieces.

I think Rumor #3 is plausible, but I find it unlikely. While it is true that royal protocol states any gift received by the royal during the course of official duties belongs to The Crown, any gifts given in celebration of a personal event even if official (like a wedding or a baby’s birth or a christening) remains the property of the royal. Much of Diana’s “big” jewelry was given as wedding gifts on her marriage to Charles, so they would’ve been hers to do with as she saw fit.

Rumor #4 strikes me as very tinhatty. 98% of me thinks it’s complete bunk, but there’s that final 2% niggling at me. And that 2% is Meghan’s 2019 NYC baby shower, when all the decor was pink and she was hinting to everyone that they were having a girl. We know that a girl is easier to merch than a boy and that may be why Meghan was hoping for a daughter, but I can’t let go of an extremely farfetched possibility that having a daughter meant Meghan would’ve gotten something of Diana’s.

Personally, I think we have to wait and see what happens under a King William. Does Queen Catherine continue wearing Princess of Wales's jewelry or does she use the vault? If Kate stops wearing Princess of Wales jewelry, does George's wife wear them or will Charlotte wear them? And if Charlotte wears it, does she wear them while she's Princess Charlotte of Wales or does she wear them (or continue to wear them) when she's The Princess Charlotte?

We only have about 20-30 years to wait.

[meeedeee]

The Internet Archive is under attack by corporations seeking to wrest more and more of our fair use rights, our public spaces and our communities from the public good. The Archive was recently forced into a settlement for scanning and digitizing legally purchased books. They are now facing a $325 million lawsuit for accepting donations of old 78 RPM historical music records that were digitized by volunteers. The goal is not only to stop the distribution of these works, but to create new legal precedents that make it illegal to preserve or archive for any reason. This will have a significant impact on our culture, our communities, and our future

Here is how you can help them

1. Use The Internet Archive Site

2. Save websites via "Save Page Now" browser tool

3. Become a patron to get a free "library card"

4. Curate & Upload to the Archive

5. Tell People That the Internet Archive Exists

6. Browse The Many, Many Collections

7. Take care of yourself and the people you care about

(Link will take you to a blog article that goes into these suggestions in detail)

[rjzimmerman]

Excerpt from this press release from the Department of the Interior:

Following an extensive public process, Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland today finalized the decision to retain protections for 28 million acres of public lands across Alaska, which many Alaska Native Tribes, Native Corporations and Tribal entities have noted are vital to protecting important natural, cultural and subsistence resources. Today’s action comes in response to the previous Administration’s unlawful decision in its final days to end the longstanding protections (known as withdrawals) without sufficient analysis of the potential impacts of such a decision on subsistence and other important resources, appropriate Tribal consultation, and without compliance with other legal requirements. This sweeping action would have opened millions of acres of public lands to extractive development activities, such as mining and oil and gas drilling, and removed the federal subsistence priority from millions of acres.

The previous Administration’s decision was put on hold to ensure full consideration of the potential impacts and allow for engagement with the public and Alaska Native communities. The robust public process gathered input from Alaska Native Tribes and Native Corporations, rural and urban communities, and the public, including 19 community meetings. During the public comment period, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) heard overwhelming support for retaining the withdrawals. In total, the BLM received approximately 15,000 public comments on the draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).

“Tribal consultation must be treated as a requirement – not an option – when the federal government is making decisions that could irrevocably affect Tribal communities. I am grateful to the team at the Bureau of Land Management for taking the time to ensure that we approached this decision with the benefit of feedback from Alaska Native communities, and to the Tribal leaders who shared with us the impact that a potential revocation of the withdrawals would have on their people,” said Secretary Deb Haaland. “Continuing these essential protections, which have been in place for decades, will ensure continued access and use of these public lands now and in the future.”

Today’s announcement builds on the Biden-Harris administration’s actions to conserve millions of acres of lands and waters in Alaska, including implementing maximum protections for more than 13 million acres of Special Areas in the western Arctic, protecting approximately 2.8 million acres of the Beaufort Sea to place the entire United States Arctic Ocean off limits to new oil and gas leasing, and preventing irrevocable harms to Tribal subsistence uses and permafrost at the base of the iconic Brooks Range by rejecting the Ambler Road proposal.

These withdrawals, established pursuant to Section 17(d)(1) of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA), stretch across BLM’s Bay, Bering Sea-Western Interior, East Alaska, Kobuk-Seward Peninsula and Ring of Fire planning areas.

Today’s decision does not impact acres already available for selection by eligible individuals under the Alaska Native Vietnam-era Veterans Land Allotment Program. Secretary Haaland has made these lands available to the approximately 1,900 Alaska Native Vietnam-era Veterans eligible to select their 160-acre land entitlement under the Dingell Act.

[odinsblog]

Let us be very clear: Hamas breached international law on the 7th of October. Hamas targeted innocent civilians in the most callous and inhumane manner, and their actions have been rightly condemned by right thinking people across the world.

But we should also be very clear, Israel has breached international law, not just every day since October the 7th, but virtually every single day for decades.

Israel occupies Palestinian land, against international law.

Israel blockades Palestinian territory, against international law.

Israel builds and expands illegal settlements, against international law.

Israel enforces an apartheid system that restricts the movements of Palestinians and denies their fundamental rights, against international law.

And Israel regularly and systematically attacks and kills Palestinian civilians, against international law.

So the question that must be answered by all of us in political life is this: How does the world respond to flagrant abuses of international law when it comes to the horrendous war crimes of Hamas? The response was very clear and very consistent. World leaders queued up to say Israel has the right to defend itself. One after another repeated their words the great and the good, including our government.

“Israel has the right to defend itself.”

Repeated in statement after statement, tweet after tweet, despite the full knowledge that those words have become contaminated. The words, “Israel has the right to defend itself” means in practice that Israel takes that right as license to bombard civilians, to bomb schools, hospitals and other civilian infrastructure. And it has now been taken as license to enforce the displacement of 1 million people from one end of an open air prison to another. To deny food, energy, medical supplies to a besieged civilian population, to actually deny them water, to ensure that children, the sick, the disabled, the elderly will literally die of thirst.

“Israel has the right to defend itself” has now become cover for, “Israel has the right to commit genocide.”

Right in front of our eyes. How come we never hear the words, “Palestine has the right to defend itself”?

Not when a humanitarian flotilla bringing essential supplies to Gaza is met with a military assault and the murder by Israel of nine unarmed activists.

Not when Palestinians march in peaceful protests against illegal blockade and are met again with a military assault and the murder of 300 of them.

Not after the countless bombings of Gaza by Israeli forces.

Not even when Israel targeted and murdered four little Palestinian boys playing football on a beach.

And not when Palestinians were dragged from their homes and forced to watch as those homes were destroyed to allow for new illegal Israeli settlements on lands that are clearly defined in international law as part of Palestine.

And not after the countless offensive attacks by Israel against the people of Gaza or the West Bank, have we or any heard anybody in this house or any Western leader uttered the words, “Palestine has the right to defend itself.”

And why not?

And by the way, I'm not asking you to say those words. And in fact, it's just as well you don't. Because we all know that the people of Palestine can't defend themselves, not against one of the most powerful military forces in the world that is backed up by even more powerful military forces.

The truth is that the people of Palestine, just like the innocent people of Israel, don't need the international community to tell them that their leaders have the right to inflict more bombings, more pain, more suffering. They need the international community to say, “Stop.” To release the hostages, to say stop the bombings, the siege, the slaughter. They need the international community to tell Israel to stop the blockade, stop the apartheid, stop the annexations, to stop the genocide.

And they need countries Tánaiste to lead the way. And Ireland should be one of those countries that leads the way.

We know colonialism.

We know oppression.

We know conflict.

But we also know conflict resolution.

We know peace building.

We know nation building.

And because of what we know, what our history has taught us, our call tonight must be clear, immediate, full and unequivocal ceasefire fires and a decisive international intervention that leads to negotiations and to a lasting and just peace settlement and to, at long last, to a free, sovereign and independent Palestine.🇵🇸

[scrapironflotilla]

Why is there not much talk about the first world in Africa

Ya know that's a good question. There's a few reasons that make the war in Africa far less prominent than the war in Europe; scale, strategic importance and colonialism, not necessarily in that order.

Let’s start with an easy one, scale. There just weren’t that many troops fighting the war there compared to the different fronts in Europe and the Middle East.  The Western and Eastern fronts packed millions of men into the trenches on either side, the Italian front had another million on each side, the Balkan theatre had another three million, the Egypt and Palestine campaign had another million, Mesopotamia was another million and the Caucasus another million.

The various European colonies in Africa were garrisoned, like most colonies of this period, by a pretty small number of total troops and an absolutely miniscule number of white, European troops. The vast majority of the soldiers fighting in these campaigns were ‘native’ troops. As an example, German East Africa, which saw the longest campaign of the war in Africa, had a population of around 7.5 million. There were around 5,000 white Germans there in total. The German army in the colony, the Schutztruppe had a strength in 1914 of about 2,700 soldiers of which only 250 where white Germans. Even counting the militia of German settler-farmers only added another 2,700 men. All of this in an area that’s three times the size of modern Germany. Total military casualties for the East Africa Campaign amounted to somewhere around the 55,000 mark (that’s killed, injured, captured and missing), fewer than British casualties on the first day of the Battle of the Somme.

The other African campaigns were even smaller in scope, with total forces on each side often numbering in the hundreds or low thousands, and were usually over by 1916. Germany knew they’d likely lose their colonies, but hoped to recoup the loss in the post-war settlement when (if) they won. They colonies in Africa just weren’t vital to Germany, which brings us to our next point, strategic importance.  

Germany’s geographic position meant that as soon as war was declared they were essentially cut off from their colonies (although there was a failed attempt to resupply the Schutztruppe in East Africa by airship in 1917 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LZ_104_(L_59) ). The British and French navies dominated the seas and there was little Germany could do. But, by the same token, the loss of these colonies wasn’t a big blow to the German war effort. Germany’s strength was in Europe, and most of its basic needs could be met from resources within Germany or the territories it conquered. Beating a few thousand German troops in East Africa wasn’t going to bring down the German government or make the German army collapse. There were local and imperial reasons to wage these campaigns, and wage them the British, French, Portuguese and Belgians did. But they were never the main, or even a secondary effort, they were very much an afterthought. And this brings us neatly to the last point, colonialism.

Now, the above refers to military numbers and casualties, and as usual in war, it’s civilians who actually suffer the most. Taking the East Africa Campaign again. Each of the armies fighting there conscripted huge numbers of ‘porters’, local civilians who carried the equipment and supplies. One historian assessed the British effort as “recruiting” 1 million civilian porters. 95,000 of them died during the war. A further 15,000 porters in Belgian service died, 7,000 porters in German service died as did an unknown number of civilian porters in Portuguese service, but it’s likely in the low tens of thousands. An official from the British Colonial Office wrote that the East African campaign had not become a scandal only "... because the people who suffered most were the carriers - and after all, who cares about native carriers?"

The war the European armies fought in Africa was mobile, and far from stable and secure supply lines. As such, the armies often “lived off the land”, which is a nice way of saying they looted and pillaged everything in their path to keep themselves fed and supplied. The German army was probably more ruthless in its pillaging, but that’s largely because they were cut off from any support base and waging a guerilla war. Looting like this had dire consequences for locals and famine spread in the war’s wake. Modern estimates are in the range of 750,000 civilian deaths in Africa from the war, although this is probably a conservative count. About half of these deaths, some 350,000, were in German East Africa. Ludwig Deppe, a German doctor who participated in the East Africa Campaign compared the devastation caused by German forces:

“Behind us we leave destroyed fields, ransacked magazines and for the immediate future, starvation. We are no longer agents of culture, our track is marked by death, plundering and evacuated villages, just like the progress of our own enemies in the Thirty Years War.”

None of the war in Africa painted the European empires in a particularly flattering light and it was pretty easy for them to if not cover it up, at least to deflect attention. The butchery in Europe was on a different scale and much closer to home. The Western Front came to dominate memory of the war for the basic reason that it was in France and Belgium that most of the troops fought and died, and it was on the Western Front that Germany was defeated. It was hard enough to fit sideshows like Italy, Salonika and even Palestine into a narrative of the war, let alone the colonial campaigns in Africa.

[micewithknives]

Top 5 archaeological sites in Australia that you feel people should know more about? Or top 5 Australian artefacts?

I feel like I’ve talked a bit about artefacts in a few recent asks, and also I feel like a lot of Australian archaeology (and as such, sites) are very underrated, particularly on a global scale. Its often acknowledged in Australian archaeology that getting international academia to recognise the importance of our country’s archaeology is very very difficult.

While there’s a million and one sites I’d love to talk about, I’m going to TRY and give sites that relate to different aspects and locations

This is probably going to be long, so...

1. Nauwalabila, Madjedbebe (Malakunanja II), and the Deaf Adder Gorge region, Northern Territory (Aboriginal)

Rock shelters in this region, and specifically Madjedbebe, are currently the oldest location of human habitation in Australia. Dating evidence from 2017 excavations provided an estimate of earliest occupation of 50 000 years at certainty, possibly extending back as early as 65 000 (+/-6000). It also has provided a lot of evidence for research into the extensive grind stone technologies of the Pleistocene.

2. Cloggs Cave and the Buchan region of the Victorian Gippsland (Aboriginal)

So much research has been done into this region in various ways. Josephine Flood focused her research on Bogong Moth usage (and festivals) within this region, providing some of the earliest accepted academic research in support of Aboriginal peoples’ claims of large scale Bogong Moth Festivals in Australia’s highlands (although the fac that no one really believed communities until then…………..). In 2021 grind analysis found Bogong Moth residue, making this the earliest stone artefact with evidence of insect food remains. And in addition to that recent 2017 research in the area investigated Holocene occupation with Aboriginal community members, with a focus on understanding the interaction of spirituality with the resources found in the caves.

3. Mabuyag Island, Torres Strait Islands, Queensland (Torres Strait Islander)

Mabuyag Island (alternatively known as Mabuiag or Mabuyaagi) has archaeological evidence of human occupation since 7300 years ago. The island is both associated with recent religious practices associated with he heavy processing of dugong remains, and totemic associations with these, which played a role in early 2000s into community lead and directed archaeological research into ritual and religious traditions and practices. In addition to this, Mabuyag is the location of the first archaeological excavations in Australia to find pre-colonial pottery fragments. The fragments at the two sites on the island were associated with Melanesian and Papua New Guinean pottery trade. The excavations relating to pottery on the island played an important role in our understanding of domestic and international trade in pre-colonial Australia, and also formed an influence for the recent excavations at Lizard Island, 300km south, which identified the first datable domestically made pottery technology found in Australia.

4. Hyde Park Barracks, Sydney, NSW

Hyde Park Barracks is part of a collection of colonial heritage structures in Australia, relating to Australia’s time as a penal settlement. Hyde Park Barracks in particular were the location of the housing of convict men from 1819 to 1830, with the 1830s to 1840s also involving the site being a location of additional convict punishment, and the base for the Board of Assignment of Servants. Following on from a reduction of convicts to NSW in the 1840s, the Barracks became the Female Immigration Depot, and the Orphan Institution, later becoming the Asylum for Infirm and Destitute Women.

This time period of women’s occupation provides some of the most interesting archaeological remains, as redevelopment and management of the site has found high rates of preservation within walls, and in areas below floorboards. This includes textiles and fabrics, papers, and other non-organic materials such as pipes (with their tobacco intact) stashed in what was once floor, wall, and ceiling cavities. Archaeological investigations in the area form one of the most detailed assemblages of artefacts relating to instituted women in the British Empire during the 19th century.

5. Notch Point, Western Australia (Multicultural heritage)

Notch Point is a site of varied and mixed archaeology, ranging from pre- and post- colonial period Aboriginal heritage, to diverse 19th century occupation of the region by Chinese, European, Malay, and Aboriginal peoples in association with pearling industries off the coast. In addition to this, the point is located on Dirk Hartog Island (otherwise known as Wirruwana), the site of the earliest European arrival in Western Australia in 1616, and contains archaeological evidence of both various early Dutch interactions with the island in 1616 and 1697, as well as French arrival in 1772, 1801, and 1818. Notch Point in particular also contains evidence of conflict between the predominantly Chinese population of the pearling industry, with white-Australian and European pearling masters, and pastoral agents. Its not a site that is widely discussed, but provides a fascinating overlay of the amount of varied cultural groups that can be present within Australia’s archaeological sites.

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Honourable mentions to:

Lake Mungo and the Willandra Lakes which should 100% be on this list, but also I feel like I talk about it ALL the time and I wanted to mention sites that I actually don’t see discussed a lot. Theyre super important for cultural reasons, for archaeological reasons, and also for their role the development of archaeology, Aboriginal community consultation, and the role its played in developing repatriation practices in modern Australia. I have multiple posts about them HERE

Budj Bin Eel Traps in Victoria (same reasons, I’ve definitely talked about them before).

Juukan Gorge (and its destruction, im still horrified)

Harrietville Chinese Mining Village

Strangway Strings and The Peake Afghan Cameleer sites

Recherche Bay in Tasmania, and its 1792 French settlement sites

Homebush Mill & Mission Hall in QLD and Beowa National Park sites containing South Sea Islander heritage

[stupittmoran]

In 1992 a man that had no record of violence whatsoever was approached and entrapped by the feds illegally.

After he was sent the wrong court date and failed to show up, his innocent son, dog, and wife (while holding their infant daughter) were all slaughtered because of it.

Randy Weaver and his family lived in an isolated cabin in the mountains of Ruby Ridge, Idaho.

An undercover federal agent targeted him and entrapped him into selling him a sawed-off shotgun.

The agent ingratiated himself to Weaver for weeks. He kept asking Weaver if he would sell him a shotgun. Weaver initially hesitated but finally agreed. Then, the agent asked him if he could saw it off first since he didn't have the tools. Though he warned FBI guy it was illegal to do so, he was nice enough to do it anyway. The agent then also had him drive out of the way across State lines to add charges.

After Weaver was sent the wrong court date and (understandably) failed to show up, the feds used this as permission to do anything and everything they could to take him down.

Marshals called in military aerial reconnaissance and had photos studied by the Defense Mapping Agency. They prowled the woods around Weaver’s cabin with night-vision equipment. They had psychological profiles performed and installed $130,000 worth of long-range solar-powered spy cameras. They intercepted the Weavers’ mail. They even knew the menstrual cycle of Weaver’s teenage daughter, and planned an arrest scenario around it.

On August 21, Marshals outfitted in full camouflage and carrying machine guns trespassed onto the Weavers’ property. Three marshals circled close to the Weaver cabin and threw rocks to provoke the Weavers’ dogs. As Weaver’s 14-year old son, Sammy, and Kevin Harris, a family friend, ran towards the barking, a marshal shot and killed his dog. Sammy Weaver fired in the direction those shots came from. As he was leaving the scene, a marshal shot him in the back and killed him. Harris responded by fatally shooting a federal marshal who had fired seven shots at them.

Snipers from the FBI Hostage Rescue Team were sent in the next day and ordered to shoot to kill any adult male outside the Weaver cabin. Randy Weaver was shot in the back after he stepped out of his cabin. As he struggled to return back inside, they shot and killed Vicki Weaver (his wife), who was standing in the cabin door holding their 10-month old baby.

From the testimony of Randy Weaver: "On August 22, 1992, completely without warning of any kind, an FBI sniper shot and killed my wife, Vicki. He was using a .308 caliber sniper rifle with a specially weighted barrel and a 10-power scope. He was using match grade ammunition. He had years of training to kill. I heard him testify at the trial that he wanted to kill. He shot my wife in the head and killed her. She was not wanted for any crime. There were no warrants for her arrest. At the time she was gunned down, she was helpless. She was standing in the doorway of her home. She was holding the door open for me and Sara and for Kevin Harris. She was holding Elishe a our 10-month-old baby girl, in her arms. As the bullet crashed through her head, she slumped to her knees, holding Elisheba tightly so she would not drop her. We took the baby from her as she lay dead and bleeding on our kitchen floor."

Weaver and Harris, who never fired any shots at FBI agents, surrendered after an 11-day siege.

Thankfully after all of this was said and done, the FBI conducted an "internal investigation" and guess what? They did nothing wrong. SHOCKER.

Randy Weaver and his daughters filed a wrongful death suit for $200 million which was related to the killing of his wife and son. In an out-of-court settlement in August 1995, the federal government awarded Randy Weaver $100,000 and it also awarded $1 million to each of his three daughters.

The government did not admit that it had committed any wrongdoing in relation to the deaths of Sammy and Vicki.

The moral of the story is, if the government wants to kill you, they'll find a way to do it. They are not your friend. They do not have your best interests at heart.

If you are an enemy of the state, if they don't like you, the Constitution seemingly doesn't apply.

These federal agencies (FBI, CIA, ATF, USMS, etc.) Do whatever they want, stay in power indefinitely, and have effectively unlimited funds. Not only should they be defunded, they should be abolished entirely. They do nothing but make us less safe and are wholly incompatible with a free society.

The fact that people want to give the government more power, more control, and take away our means of defense (gun control) is absolutely beyond me. If they could pull this off in the 90's they can do it now. I assure you.

Never give up your guns. Your government will kill you.

Dylan Allman on Twitter/X

[i-am-aprl]

💁🏼‍♀️Yesterday a white woman who genuinely thought Jerusalem was the capital of Israel said to me “it’s complicated”.

The truth is, it’s really not.

❌ “It’s complicated” is intended to distract from the obvious injustice of this moment and the millions of moments preceding this one, since 1948.

🎭 “It’s complicated” is a willful performance of privilege to absolve oneself of complicity.

🎯 It’s that simple.

👶🏽 They are out here slaughtering children, mass murdering 1 year olds, 2 year olds, 3 year olds.

🩸 Every single damn day.

📺 And the media and western governments are out here feigning outrage over 40 babies that were never beheaded.

🎯 There is an occupier and an occupied.

🎯 The supremacist and the dehumanized.

“It’s complicated” is what an editor at VICE said to me referring to the settlements after editing out a violent and powerful scene of Polish settlers illegally removing a Palestinian family from their house during a torrential downpour in Silwan from my doc.

“It’s complicated” is what my editor Jill at the New York Times used to say to me when I insisted on referring to the Occupied West Bank as “Occupied” in my slideshows.

“It’s complicated” is simply a way to continue the war on truth. To suppress. To censor. To oppress. And pretend you aren’t guilty of doing it.